3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
With only 3 ingredients and just 5 minutes of prep time, these slow cooker shredded chicken tacos are almost too easy to make which is why they are one of our family’s favorite weeknight dinners! Just toss everything in the crock pot, come back a few hours later, shred the chicken and you’re ready to sit down for dinner!
You Will Love This
- The ingredient list is SO short! These 3 ingredients are things that I commonly keep on hand, so this is one of our family’s staple weeknight dinners.
- The crock pot does all the work for you! The chicken breast is going to cook low and slow in your crock pot which will give it just the right amount of time to infuse with the flavors of the salsa and spices. But it will stay moist and juicy at the same time!
- It’s the perfect make-ahead dish! You can use the shredded chicken taco meat in oven-baked quesadillas, black bean enchiladas, crispy flautas, walking taco casserole, Doritos casserole, tater tot nachos, wraps, burritos, taco salad, or rice bowls. Tacos are a delicious and easy weeknight meal, but this shredded chicken can double as meal prep for other recipes as well!
- If you loved this chicken taco recipe, be sure to check out my walking taco casserole, homemade gordita crunch, homemade crunch wrap supreme, or blackened salmon tacos.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Your Favorite Salsa – Feel free to use a store-bought salsa – my favorite brand is Herdez – but if you’ve got an extra 5 minutes, I highly recommend trying my restaurant-style salsa! It’s super easy to throw together, mixes up in the blender, and is made with canned tomatoes so you can make it any time of the year!
- Taco Seasoning – A packet of your favorite taco seasoning will work well in this shredded crock pot chicken tacos recipe. If you don’t have a packet of taco seasoning, feel free to use a combination of cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder to create your own!
- Chicken Breast – I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you could also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
Instructions
Pour salsa and taco seasoning into a crockpot insert. Stir in a few pinches of Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper until well combined.
Place chicken into the crock pot, nestling the chicken breast into the salsa mixture.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with two forks.
Serve inside flour tortillas with diced red onion, fresh chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of Cotija cheese, and lime wedges, and enjoy!
Tips
- If you like spice, add a teaspoon or two of diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or a can of hot green chiles.
- You can also add beans or veggies to these tacos! Feel free to throw in a drained can of corn or black beans and cook it right along with the chicken. Add an additional 4-8 ounces of salsa to accommodate the extra.
- Top these tacos with all of your favorite taco toppings. Our family loves to use lettuce, sliced olives, Pico de Gallo, sour cream, guacamole, taco sauce, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
- If you’re cooking with frozen chicken, follow the recipe directions below but add a ⅓ cup of water to the crock pot as well. Then plan to cook the chicken for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- If you double or triple this recipe, plan to increase the cooking time by an hour or two at least. The more ingredients you’ve got in the crock pot, the longer the chicken will take to cook! You’ll know it’s done when the chicken is completely cooked through and shreds easily.
FAQ
This slow cooker chicken takes about 2 hours on high and 4 hours on low to cook through. Boneless, skinless chicken breast cooks quite quickly in the crock pot.
Boneless chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs work best for shredding. Also, a whole chicken can be shredded as well (like a rotisserie chicken). In this recipe, the chicken breast is cooked in a mixture of salsa and spices which makes it so perfectly tender that it shreds very easily.
If you’d like to use frozen chicken in this taco recipe, you’ll need to increase the cooking time to about 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low and stir in an additional 1/3 cup of water before cooking. For this recipe, I prefer to use thawed chicken breast so it cooks more quickly.
Sure! You can use your favorite beef taco seasoning for chicken tacos. In this recipe, we just use a regular old packet of taco seasoning but homemade taco seasoning will work as well.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make-Ahead: These crock pot chicken tacos are the perfect make-ahead recipe! They stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week and reheat super easily. The best part is that the flavors just get better with time.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through. Or zap them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds at a time until heated. You may need to stir in a bit of salsa or a splash of water as you reheat the chicken so that it doesn’t dry out.
More Easy Taco Recipes
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Crockpot Chicken Tacos
With only 3 ingredients and just 5 minutes of prep time, these slow cooker shredded chicken tacos are almost too easy to make which is why they are one of our family’s favorite weeknight dinners! Just toss everything in the crock pot, come back a few hours later, shred the chicken and you’re ready to sit down for dinner!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 12 oz. (about 1 1/2 cups) salsa
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- 1lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Combine salsa, taco seasoning, and a few large pinches of salt and pepper in a crockpot insert.
- Nestle chicken breast into the salsa mixture.
- Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
- Shred chicken with two forks.
- Serve inside flour tortillas with diced red onion, fresh chopped cilantro, and a sprinkle of Cotija cheese and enjoy!
Notes
- If you like spice, add a teaspoon or two of diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or a can of hot green chiles.
- You can also add beans or veggies to these tacos! Feel free to throw in a drained can of corn or black beans and cook it right along with the chicken. Add an additional 4-8 ounces of salsa to accommodate the extra.
- Top these tacos with all of your favorite taco toppings. Our family loves to use lettuce, sliced olives, Pico de Gallo, sour cream, guacamole, taco sauce, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
- If you’re cooking with frozen chicken, follow the recipe directions below but add a ⅓ cup of water to the crock pot as well. Then plan to cook the chicken for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- If you double or triple this recipe, plan to increase the cooking time by an hour or two at least. The more ingredients you’ve got in the crock pot, the longer the chicken will take to cook! You’ll know it’s done when the chicken is completely cooked through and shreds easily.
This post was originally published in November of 2018. It was updated in August 2022 to include process shots and tips for making the best shredded chicken tacos every single time!
I have almost 5 lbs of chicken. How much salsa and seasoning would you use for this amount?
You’d need to use about 60 ounces of salsa and 5 packets of taco seasoning!
Just took these out of the crackpot to shred and boy is that chicken delicious! I can’t wait to add it into tacos for dinner tonight! Super easy, everything already on hand. This will be my new go-to recipe for making chicken for taco night.
Isn’t this the easiest recipe?! And so delicious. Glad you enjoyed it, JT!
Can i use chuck roast instead of chicken?
Hmmm…good question! I haven’t tried this with chuck roast but I wouold imagine that it would work as long as you let it cook for long enough to get super tender. Can’t wait to hear how it goes if you give it a try, Felicia!
How many chicken breasts (or pounds) would I need for 10 adults? And would I need to cook it longer? Thank you!
I’d recommend probably 3 pounds of chicken breast for 10 people, possibly 4 pounds if they are big eaters. And I’d recommend cooking for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low if you’re making 3-4 pounds. Great question, Debbie!
Thank you!
This recipe is my new favorite! I was a little hesitant at first because there were no reviews on here but I am so glad I went through with this recipe. I made it for my family of 3 and everyone was super pleased with how it turned out. It was super easy to make, I just threw it in the crockpot and left it all day until we were ready to eat. The chicken was so juicy and even reminded me of the chicken tacos from my favorite Mexican restaurant. I will definitely be making this again for my family!
I could not agree more!! I am so glad that you gave it a try – and that you left a review!!! Thank you so much, Marissa! 🙂
Can this recipes be adapted to cooking on the stovetop?
Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you!
I think you could definitely make these on the stove! I’d recommend using a large pot and adding all the ingredients to it. Then cover with a lid and simmer over medium or medium low heat until chicken is cooked through. Then shred and assemble tacos. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it! Also, you could try these delicious chicken tacos too that are marinated and then cooked on the stovetop! https://midwestfoodieblog.com/honey-lime-chicken-tacos-with-chipotle-slaw/
With just 5 minutes of prep time, these slow cooker chicken tacos are healthy, tasty and almost too easy to make!